Saturday, November 30, 2013Reviving Ohio's declining hellbender populationResearchers say we need more of Ohio's largest amphibians and the state has plans to improve the future for the not-real-handsome crittersby WKSU's STATEHOUSE BUREAU CHIEF KAREN KASLER

ReporterKaren Kasler

A type of giant salamander, North America's Hellbender is the third largest type of salamander in the world

The state of Ohio is hoping to bring back the population of North America's biggest amphibian, known in most locations by the name "hellbender" They are a type of giant salamander that reaches 15 inches in length and weight five pounds.

John Navarro with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources tells Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler that this solitary, odd-looking amphibian performs an important service.

And, Navarro says since older hellbenders need more space, inmates at the Marion Correctional Institution offer to help care for them, so when the creature reach 2 years old, they're being moved to the prison. Navarro says the process to build the population of hellbenders could take a decade.